


Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere

by mnovaca1989



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-01-02 03:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21154634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnovaca1989/pseuds/mnovaca1989
Summary: The Parent Trap Outlander Style





	1. Chapter 1

Author’s Note: This is my first Outlander fanfic. I’ve written for other fandoms in the past, but its been a few years. I’ve taken a few liberties with this fic, so please forgive me.  
Faith and Brianna are identical twins, 13 years old. Jamie and Claire were married young, but have not seen each other in 12 years, having divorced when the girls were a year old. Jamie stayed in Scotland to remain close with his family, keeping Bree with him. Claire moved to Boston to pursue her medical degree, taking Faith with her. Neither girl has any idea the other exists or much about the other parent. All they have to go on is one picture, and that one picture will change everything.

Prologue:

Inverness, Scotland, UK  
12 years earlier…

Jamie sat staring at the document before him, trying his best to keep the tears at bay. This was one of those moments that would change the course of his life, and he was hesitating. Could they not work this out? Was this what was right for their family? How would this affect the girls?

“Mr. Fraser, please, do not make this any harder than it is. Just sign these papers so we can be on our way.” Claire’s lawyer pleaded.

Jamie sighed, his hand shaking as he signed on the dotted line. He chanced a look at Claire, who couldn’t seem to meet his gaze. She was focused on the paperwork in front of her, trying her hardest to avoid him.

“Well I think that is that. All the assets have been divided, the custody agreed upon. I now pronounce you a divorced couple.” Jamie’s lawyer, Ned Gowan, attempted to make a joke.

The former couple looked at the man and then at each other, sadness in their eyes. This wasn’t what they wanted, but there were just too many obstacles they couldn’t overcome. As hard as they have tried, having 2 children under a year old, and both on the cusp of burgeoning careers in 2 completely separate fields, it just wasn’t meant to be.

“I’ll be here for you, always, a nighean.” Jamie assured her as he touched her arm just as she was about to exit the building. 

Unfortunately things, once again, didn’t go as planned. Claire accepted a job offer in the US, their joint custody arrangements were changed, and 2 months later, Claire and Faith were on a plane to Boston. The agreement being that they wouldn’t speak of the other. Faith and Bree would forget the other twin existed and as heartbroken as Jamie and Claire were to separate themselves and their daughters, they knew in the long run, it would be less painful for the girls. 

Jamie showed up on his sister’s, Jenny, doorstep after a long a tearful goodbye with his other daughter, Faith, and vice versa for Claire and Brianna. 

“Oh mo chridhe!” Jenny exclaimed as she gathered her brother and wee niece into her arms. Brianna, or Bree, as she was affectionately known as, was asleep on her father’s shoulder, not understanding that she wouldn’t see her mother again for a long while, if not forever.

Jamie cried into his sister’s shoulder, not caring who saw. He held his daughter tight in his arms, knowing she was now his lifeline. He would carry on for her and give her the best life possible, and that was here at Lallybroch.

Claire, meanwhile, was trying to soothe her baby daughter so that she would sleep. They had just gotten off the plane and Faith had immediately thrown a fit. She was missing her sister, that much was obvious. Claire missed her other baby as well, more than she could almost bear, but she knew this was her life now. 

“Come darling.” Claire held a tiny Faith in her arms, exiting the terminal. “Let’s find Uncle Joe.”  
Joe Abernathy was Claire’s best friend from University, and was man-of-honour at her wedding to Jamie. He was American and was the one who had gotten her the job in Boston to begin with.

Joe was waiting for them near the baggage carousel. His wife, Gail, standing next to him, arms wide open. Claire immediately went to the couple, tired from having to stay so strong over the last few months.

“LJ.” Joe’s soothing tone said, and it was all it took for Claire to break down. Gail quickly took Faith into her arms, letting her husband comfort the woman he thought of as a little sister. 

“He’s gone.” Claire kept repeating, and to anyone who didn’t know her, those cries probably sounded as if she was widowed. Joe knew her better than that, and knew she was mourning the death of her marriage instead as well as the separation from one of her daughters. It would take time, but she would heal. They would heal. And who knows, maybe someday they would come together once again.

Chapter 1

“I’m real sorry your mother couldn’t be here to drop you off today, kiddo.” Joe said to his niece. “She had an emergency surgery she couldn’t miss.” 

Faith shrugged. “It’s okay, Uncle Joe, I get it.” It had been this way for as long as she could remember. Claire tried her hardest to always be there for her daughter, but her career had taken off. She worked her way up to being one of the most widely recognized trauma surgeons in the country. Faith envied her mother, wanting a career just like her, maybe not a doctor though because blood was gross. “She would be here if she could.”

Faith stepped out of the car, looking at the sign ahead of her that read Camp Willoughby. It was a 6-week summer camp, one that she had always wanted to attend to. Finally her mother had agreed that she could go, on the condition that she would call at least 3 times a week. 

“Hey where do you think you’re going, Princess.” Joe beckoned to her, standing just outside the car. Faith rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, and gave him a big smile, bounding over for a goodbye hug. “Remember, you can always call if you want to come home. If your mother can’t get you, Gail or I will.”

Faith nodded, her bright red curls bouncing and gleaming in the sunlight. “I know, Uncle Joe. Tell Mama not to worry.”

Joe smiled. Sometimes he still couldn’t get over Faith’s American accent. They always thought that maybe she would end up with a slightly less posh British accent, like Claire, but her upbringing in America proved to have a stronger influence than previously thought. 

“Alright then kid, best behaviour and show those other kids what smart really is.” He said with a wink.

Faith laughed and waved goodbye to him once more before making a grab for her bag, which had ended up under a big pile of other bags that had been thrown around. Sighing, she knew she had her work cut out for her.

Meanwhile across the parking lot, another car had just pulled up, this time a limo. The occupants got out and stretched their legs. It had been a long ride from the airport to the camp.

“Have you everything you need, lass?” A tall man with dark black hair, bright blue eyes, and a charming smile asked a young red-headed girl, his grand-daughter.

“Yes Grandda, thank ye for seein’ me here.” The girl said in her Scottish brogue. “Tell Da, I’ll miss him.”

“You know he wishes he could be here, a leannan. He didna want to go on his business trip. T’was forced on him but your great Uncles.” Brian Fraser explained.

Brianna nodded. Sometimes she hated her Uncles, Colum and Dougal. Ever since her father had went into the whiskey business with them and their brand had taken off across Europe, her father was rarely able to be home. Always having to travel where her Uncles wouldn’t. Sometimes she got to go with him, but this time he thought it would be better if he sent her some place else. He had read about this summer camp in America that had all the things Bree liked to do, so he sent her there for the next 6 weeks.  
“Sometimes I wish he would stand up to those old fools.” Brianna said, sounding much older than her 13 years. Brian had to bite back a laugh. She might be the spitting image of his late wife, Ellen, but sometimes her mother shined through. He knew it got to Jamie sometimes having a daughter who was sometimes so similar to his ex-wife, a mother she didn’t remember, but Jamie couldn’t love his daughter more if he tried.  
“He loves ya Bree.” Brian reminded his namesake, although she knew it well enough. “He just feels like he has to prove himself sometimes. Besides, I think ye will have fun.”  
Bree looked around. It did look like a good place to spend a summer. A lot better than sitting at home, helping Aunt Jenny with her brood, and around the farm.  
“And remember to call yer father tonight. He will want to hear from ya as soon as possible.”  
Bree nodded, and turned to hug her Grandfather, he second favourite person in the world. “I love ye.”  
“I love ye too, my lass. I will see ye soon.” He then bent down to her level and held out his hand, readying himself to complete their ritual, their handshake. He would never admit to favouring his grandchildren, all 8 of them, but Brianna had a special place in his heart. It was like raising a young Jamie all over again. She was as bright and curious as her father when he was a lad, and had a knack for getting into trouble as well. She was also charming and funny, but serious and outspoken like her mother, Claire.  
After bidding her Grandfather goodbye, Bree headed over to see that her bag had ended up in the kerfuffle with all the other bags. Rolling her eyes, she tried to grab her bag and managed to pull it out, just in time to narrowly miss seeing her dopple-ganger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two girls come face to face, and it doesn't go as expected...at all.

Chapter 2

Three days later, Faith had made 3 new best friends. Lily, a shy blonde girl from the south; Alex, a dark haired, outgoing California girl; and Melody, a fellow New England girl. 

“Faith, did you hear? There’s a T-ball tournament going on in the field next to the cabins.” Alex ran into the cafeteria area where all the girls had gathered. 

Faith’s eyes brightened. Sports were her thing. She didn’t like to brag, but she had yet to find one she wasn’t good at. She was tall and skinny, and a lot faster than people expected. She sometimes wondered if her father, wherever he was, was athletic, because her mother didn’t have an athletic bone in her body, despite being fairly tall and thin. “Sign me up!” She exclaimed.

An hour later, the teams were made. The teams were co-ed. All in all, there were 7 girls playing. 4 on Faith’s team, and 3 on the other. She was surprised to see another girl on the opposite team with a similar stature to her own, and she was a fellow red-head to boot. She wondered who that girl was, she couldn’t see her face as she was turned around.  
“Check it out, there’s a girl on the other team sizing you up.” Brianna’s new friend, Lizzie said. 

“That’s Faith. She’s in my cabin. I haven’t really talked to her much, but she’s apparently super athletic.” Erin, Bree’s other friend added. “You know, you kind of look alike now that I think about it. It must be the hair.”

Brianna rolled her eyes. Just because there weren’t that many gingers around, didn’t mean they all looked alike. “Well I’ve been playing sports with my Da and cousins all my life.” Bree shrugged. “I may not have played on a team, but I ken my way around a field.” She wasn’t worried at all. Jamie always praised her for her athleticism, saying that that was one way she took after him, her mother hadn’t been good at sports.

“Alright campers, are we ready to play?” One of the camp counsellors, Joni, asked from mid-field.

There were resounding screams of “YES” followed by a quick gathering of players. Everyone was instructed to play fairly and remember it was just for fun.

Halfway through the game, Brianna’s team was down a few runs, and if that wasn’t enough, the other team had begun heckling despite the counsellors warnings. Bree was getting annoyed, the best player on that team was her semi-lookalike, Faith. If she could just take out the one girl, her team would stand a better chance. It went against everything she had been taught about sportsmanship, but at this point she didn’t care. It would be for the betterment of her team.

When she got up to pitch, she knew what she had to do. Faith was standing centerfield, and Brianna had a perfect shot at her. So long as she didn’t hit her above the waist with the ball, she would be fine. Brianna’s hit turned out to be perfect as it went sailing through the air and hit Faith directly in the shin. Faith grunted and lifted her foot, pain making her face contort strangely. Brianna felt awful the minute it happened, and she knew she would have to apologize.

Faith was taken off the field, limping. She sent a glare Brianna’s way, and that’s when Bree knew she had been caught. 

Making her way off the field, Bree wanted to apologize. As she got closer to the girl she was immediately struck by how similar they looked.

“Ah dhia.” Bree shrieked. It was like looking at a mirror image. Faith had the same freckles across her nose, the same big blue eyes. The only major difference was that Bree’s hair was much shorter than Faith’s which was long a curly.

Everyone around them sat stunned by the similarities as well, but no one chose to comment on it, chalking it up to coincidence.

Bree took a deep breath and walked over to Faith. “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry for hittin’ ye with the ball.” Bree stuck her hand out in a sign for truce. 

Faith shook her head, anger appearing on her usually calm face. “I saw you, you aimed directly for me.”

“I didna....” Bree trailed off, caught in a lie. “I’m still sorry.”

“Well congrats, the game was forfeited because of you.” Faith said with a roll of her eyes. “It was just supposed to be for fun. Anyone ever tell you that being a sore loser isn’t attractive on a person?”

Bree stuttered, not able to think of anything to say.

“I didn’t think so.” Faith huffed in annoyance, turning back to her friends, who had rallied around her, leaving Bree out in the cold.

Brianna, feeling defeated and a little ashamed, walked back to her group. 

Later that night, after much plotting and planning, Faith and her friends decided to get their revenge. While Brianna and her other cabin buddies were sleeping soundly, Faith and her friends quietly placed toilet paper, soap, maple syrup, and anything else they could possibly think of to create a gruesome mess upon their awakening.

The screams that could be heard from the girls in Bree’s cabin were worth it, until they weren’t. When Faith heard the angry footsteps coming towards her cabin, followed by the counsellor’s keys in the door, Faith knew they were done for.

“Faith Beauchamp, can you come outside please?” Joni, the counsellor asked.

Faith nodded solemnly, feeling guilty. She knew if her mother found out, she was done for.

“What do you have to say for yourself? And don’t tell me it wasn’t you, one of the girls saw you and your friends doing it.” Joni said disappointedly.

“I’m sorry Miss. Joni. I will apologize to Brianna and her friends.” Faith said, tears forming in her eyes. Rarely did she get into trouble.

“I’m sorry too. Sorry that you and Brianna will now have to be separated from the rest of the group.” 

“What?” Faith asked in shock. 

“We asked the other girl’s why you may have felt the need to seek vengeance on Brianna and her cabin mates and one of the other girls told us what happened with both of you this afternoon. Seems the two of you got off on the wrong feet, so maybe some time in isolation will serve you both well. Brianna has already been informed and is packing her things as we speak. I expect the same of you.” Joni said, with a no-nonsense look on her face.

Faith gulped. This wasn’t what she expected from summer-camp, not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't expect updates this quickly all the time, I just happened to have had almost the entirety of this chapter completed when I posted the first one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brianna and Faith discover they have some remarkable similarities and a few too many coincidences...

Chapter 3

Brianna huffed as she threw another rock in the water, watching it skip twice before sinking. This was torture. She had been stuck in this isolation cabin for almost an entire day, with Faith never speaking a word to her. The cabin itself wasn’t so bad. It was situated in a well treed area of the camp, but with a direct sightline of the other cabins roughly 100 yards away. The lake was right in front of them and it was quiet, a good place for reading. If she wasn’t so bored, she wouldn’t half mind it. She was just grateful that they had agreed not to call their parents for their misdemeanors. 

Brianna looked over to the cabin, where the door had been left propped open, and saw Faith sitting on the floor going through what looked like a box of personal items. Figuring maybe this would be a good place to try and make a fresh start with the other girl, she walked over.

“What are ye doing?” Brianna asked, as she watched Faith sort through a pile of photos.

Faith looked up and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Looking through some photographs. Not that you would care.”

“I like lookin’ at photos.” Brianna said. “Can I see?”

Faith studied her look-a-like for a moment before deciding she looked trustworthy enough. She handed her a photo of her and her Uncle Joe at Joe’s family farm.

“Who’s this?” Bree asked curiously, as she sat down.

“My Uncle.” Faith explained. “Well my pretend Uncle. My mom hasn’t got a lot of family left and Uncle Joe’s her best friend, along with his wife Gail.”

“He looks kind and mischievous.” Bree laughed, noticing the twinkle in the man’s eyes even in a photo.

Faith smirked. “He is. Very. We play pranks on my mom all the time.”

“I do that to my Da as well.” Bree giggled. “He hates it.”  
“My mom does too. But her reactions are worth it.”

Bree nodded in agreement, before putting the photo down. “Faith, I’m really sorry about hurting yer ankle earlier. Ye ken I only did it because I was jealous. We were down 2 runs and I saw that as being the only way to get a win, even if it wasna fair.”

Faith sighed. “I kind of figured that much. I’m sorry about making a mess of your cabin. That was uncalled for.”

“Shake on it?” Bree asked.

Faith nodded, a grin overtaking her face. 

“Your from Scotland right?” Faith asked, having obviously picked up on Bree’s sometimes thick accent.

Bree nodded. “Lived there all my life with my Da, grandfather, Aunt, Uncle and cousins. We live in a place called Lallybroch in the village of Broch Mordha.”

“That sounds amazing.” Faith said enviously. “It’s only really me and my Mom in a giant house. She has friends who come and stay with me if she’s not going to be around, but it would be nice to have more family.”

“You don’t have anyone?” Bree asked in surprise.

Faith shrugged. “No one we are close too. I suppose my Mom has family in France and Britain, but none she ever speaks too.”

“Yer mam’s from Britain?” 

“Yeah Oxford originally, but she’s lived all over the world. Her parents died when she was very young and she was raised by her Uncle who was a world renowned archaeologist.” Faith explained. “She spent a bit of time in Scotland as well, it was where I was born. We moved shortly after when my Uncle got her the job in Boston.

“Small world.” Bree chuckled. “We live on the same farm my Da grew up on.”

“Are you close to your Dad?” Faith asked.

Bree nodded. “He’s my best friend. He raised me by himself, with help from his family of course, but he’s been both mother and father to me when need be.”

“Your lucky. I don’t even know my Dad. My mom and I are close, but she works so much I don’t see her all that often.” Faith said sadly.

“Your mom’s a surgeon right?” Bree asked.

Faith nodded. “A trauma surgeon. She’s one of the best in the US.” She said with pride.

“My Da’s part owner of a Whiskey Distillery in Scotland. He’s on an extended business trip throughout Europe right now, which is how I ended up here.” Bree explained, equally proud.

“Do you have a picture of your Da or any of your family?” Faith asked.

Bree nodded and reached around her neck to pull her locket off. She carefully opened it up where there was a small picture of her father on one side. Faith’s gasp of shock startled Brianna so much she toppled over and dropped her locket. Faith grabbed for it immediately, holding it carefully in the palm of her hand.

“What?” Brianna asked as she righted herself. “What happened?”

Faith shook her head, trying to clear it. “Bree, when is your birthday?” She asked, out of nowhere.

“November 23...why?” Bree asked in confusion.

“Because mine is as well.” Faith said in shock. “I was born November 23, 2005 in Inverness, Scotland.”

Bree’s eyes widened considerably. “So was I.” Slowly reality began to set in and Bree was just as shocked at the revelation. “I have a small picture of my mother, the only one I have and I had to steal if from my father’s desk.” She ran to her belongings and carefully pulled it out of her bag. It was clearly well looked over, the edges crinkled. She handed the picture to Faith.

Faith gasped and quickly dug through more of her photos as well, pulling out an equally worn photo, torn down the middle, the same way Bree’s was. They put the edges together and sure enough, they were a perfect match.

“Brianna, do you know what this means?” Faith asked.

“You and me...we’re sisters.” Bree pointed back and forth.

“Not just that, we’re twins. Your picture is of my Mom and mine is your Dad.” 

“Twins…” Brianna let out a breath, thinking what a small world it was after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith and Bree hatch a plan...

Chapter 4

Faith and Bree sat staring at the respective pictures nestled in their hands. They couldn’t believe the revelation. There were just too many coincidences not to make it the truth.

“What do you think happened?” Faith asked, Bree, her newfound sister. Sister. She still couldn’t believe it.

Bree didn’t know, but she was bound and determined to find out. “I dinna ken.” She shrugged. “I guess they had to have their reasons.”

“For splitting us up?” Faith asked. “I would’ve loved to have had a sister.

Bree could see the sincerity in Faith’s eyes and nodded. “Me as well.”

“My Mom never really talks about my Dad. Now I guess I understand why, its too painful for her.” 

“What did your Mam tell you about my Da?” Bree asked, curious. This was just so confusing. She couldn’t see her father willingly giving up one of his children, but apparently that was exactly what happened.

“Not much. Just that he was tall, had red hair like me, and was in Scotland.” Faith answered. “I never really asked much though because I could see in her eyes that it was painful for her to talk about.”

“She has a glass face.” Bree said, thinking of something her Da had once mentioned to her. 

“What?” Faith asked in confusion. How would she know?

“It’s something my Da said about my mother. He said that I had a glass face like her. I think it means I’m easy to read. He never talks about her though, but I’ve heard him say she was the love of his life.” Bree said.

“Did he ever mention what happened between them?” Faith asked.

Bree shook her head. “Not that I reckon. I never asked because it was always just how it was for me, having only Da around. I didn’t even really understand what I was missing until I started school and noticed all the other kids had their mothers around. If there’s ever anything I need to talk about that I don’t want Da to know, I go to Aunt Jenny.”

“You’re lucky you had so much family around.” Faith said. “I would’ve given anything for that.”

Bree nodded in understanding, standing up to put her picture back in its rightful place. Suddenly it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. She turned to Faith with a suspicious look on her face. 

“Ye ken what we should do?” Bree asked.

Faith gulped and shook her head. She wasn’t sure she wanted any part of this.

“We should switch places.” Bree said as if it was an everyday occurrence.

Faith jumped up in shock. “Are you insane? We can’t switch places.”

Bree rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion. “And why not? We’re identical, except for our hair and styles.”

“I don’t know, how about the fact that you sound nothing like me, we hardly know anything about one another, and I’m sure my mother will figure it out right away. She’s inquizitive.” Faith explained, knowing that his plan was a failure already.

Bree was determined not to give up that quickly. “So, we still have weeks left to get to know one another. We can work on our accents, and I’ll cut my hair.”

“I don’t know about this.” Faith said doubtfully.

“Faith, come on!” Bree exclaimed. “I want to know my Mam, and you just said you would give anything to know Da. This will work, if we perfect everything.”

“And what happens after, huh?” Faith asked, trying to be rational. “I don’t want to live in Scotland for the rest of my life without my mother. I have friends here, I like living in Boston.”

“We won’t switch forever. Just for a little while.” Bree said. “We’ll eventually have to tell them and have them switch us back, and then…”

Faith interrupted, catching her meaning. “They will have to meet again.”

Bree nodded. “And they’ll fall back in love and then we can be a family again.”

Faith struggled to believe it was that easy. “Brianna, there’s no guarantee this will end well for all of us. There’s a reason they broke up and separated us, what if that reason still exists? What if nothing has changed and we just hurt them more?”

“That’s a risk we take then.” Bree shrugged, clearly not the level-headed one of the two. “Worst comes to worst, we each get to know our other parent. That’s something we both want, right?”

Faith nodded affirmatively and Bree smiled.

“That settles it then.” Bree stuck out her pinky. 

“Are you seriously pinky-swearing? No one does that any more.” Faith laughed.

“Just do it.” Brianna replied. The two stuck their pinkies together, their first commitment as sisters and twins.

“Where do we begin?” Faith asked a few minutes later, after a little more scheming.

Bree walked over to her bedside table and opened a door, pulling out a small pair of scissors.

“And what are you planning to do with those?” Faith asked, afraid she knew the answer already.

Bree pointed to the chair in the corner of the room. “First things first, we need to make ye look like me. And my hair is much shorter.”

“Couldn’t we just get you extensions?” Faith asked.

Bree rolled her eyes. “Cutting yer hair is cheaper.”

Faith sighed, not believing she was doing this. She loved her long curly locks, and Bree’s hair was shoulder length and worn straight. “I’m going to have to straighten it every day.”

Bree laughed at her sister’s complaints. “Not everyday, I do where my hair up at home mostly, besides my Da won’t notice. My Aunt Jenny says it’s a man thing.” There was another shrug as Bree set to work strand by strand.

An hour later, Faith was turning her head from side to side, her long locks officially gone. “I have to admit, it doesn’t look half bad. Where did you learn to cut hair?”

“That was my first time” Bree giggled, noticing her sister’s gasp. “I just didna tell ye because I figured ye would panic.”

Faith agreed. “I’m glad you didn’t. Now to begin work on that accent of yours.”

“I’m pretty sure it will be easier for me. Haven’t you seen any movies? It’s always harder for Americans to do other accents then vice versa.” Bree explained.

The more Faith thought about it, the more she realized Bree was right. “Why does it seem like I’m going to have the harder time of this? I was the one who had to cut my hair.”

“Sorry.” Bree apologized, feeling genuinely guilty. “I promise, I will have just as bad a time as you perfecting my accent.”

“Well it’s not going to all happen in one day, so why don’t we go to bed and continue in the morning?” Faith suggested, feeling the exhaustion from the adrenaline beginning to catch up with her.

Bree agreed, feeling happier than she had since she could remember. She was finally going to meet her mother, even if it was just for a short time. This might be one of her brightest schemes yet.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bree and Faith say goodbye to camp and their adventures begin...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to leave a quick note to say, thank you to everyone for reviewing. Your words of encouragement have meant a lot to me as I navigate this story. :)

Chapter 5

Weeks later and the time at summer camp was almost through. Brianna and Faith had spent a total of one week in “isolation” before being allowed back into their respectable cabins. They remained closer than ever, finding more in common than just their looks. Both girls were incredibly stubborn, opinionated and had large personalities. Bree was more outgoing, but when she felt passionately about something, Faith was just as vocal. Neither could wait to spend more time together in the future, and if things went as planned, maybe even become family again.

The night before pick-up and goodbyes, Faith and Bree were lying on the grass near the edge of the lake, staring up at the vast sky above.

“Do you think we are ready?” Faith asked, unsure.

Bree chuckled. She had spent weeks trying to bring up Faith’s confidence, and for the most part it worked. They had perfected their “new” accents to the best of their abilities, they had quizzed each other on every aspect of each other’s lives they could think of and then some. They were as ready as they could possibly be.

“I think we’ll be fine. Besides it’s not forever.” Bree reminded her. “Either they’ll figure it out sooner or later when one of us slips up, or we’ll tell em.” 

Faith nodded in agreement. “Either way, they’ll have to meet up to switch us back.”

They were quiet again for a few minutes when Bree, in an uncharacteristically solemn tone, asked, “Faith, do you think mam will like me?” 

“Well she’ll think you are me, so yes.” Faith joked. 

Bree rolled her eyes. “No I mean once she finds out. I mean she left me once, what is to stop her from doin’ it again?”  
Faith let out a sigh, In all honesty, she had been having the same thoughts deep down. “Bree, I honestly don’t think what happened all those years ago had anything to do with us personally.” She sat up to look at her sister, sensing her nerves. “Whatever happened with them was between them. I think they just thought it was what was best for all of us. I don’t understand it, but maybe someday they will explain.”

Bree nodded. “I’ve always wondered about her.”

“Same with me about Dad.” Faith said. “I know Mom will love you when she finds out. I never told you this, but deep down I think I’ve always known something was off.”

“What do you mean?” Bree asked sitting up.

“Well whenever my birthday came around, mom would always get very sullen when she thought I wasn’t looking. I think it was because she knew you were out there somewhere celebrating the same day.” 

Brianna gave her sister a half smile in acknowledgement. “I think it was the same for Da. He’d always act happy around me, but lookin’ back, I’m sure he was thinking about you on those days especially. I always just thought my birthday was another reminder that my mam wasna there.”

“Lets make a pact.” Faith proposed. “That on our next birthdays, we will celebrate together.”

Bree smiled giddily. “Sounds like a plan.” They shook on it.

“Hey, you almost sounded like a proper American there.” Faith laughed.

“And your Scots brogue is comin’ along.” Bree smirked.

Faith rolled her eyes. For the most part, she thought she had it down. There were a few words she had trouble with, but other than that she would be fine. She hoped. Bree had even went as far as to teach her a few Gaelic phrases, mostly the nicknames her Da had for her, plus a few of the more popular sayings. Brianna had said her father didn’t often break out into Gaelic with her, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The next day came quicker than either girl was ready for. Bree had given Faith a few of her outfits and Faith had done the same. If you were to look at either girl now, it would be hard to tell which was which. Their friends just chalked it up to the two girls spending so much time together as they said their goodbyes.

Bree and Faith walked away from the crowded area where buses and parents were gathered to take their children home.  
“Are ye ready?” Bree asked, feeling nervous.

Faith nodded as confidently as she could. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Bree smiled and hugged her. “Alright, it will probably be my Grandda escorting you home. My Da will just be back from his trip and probably two tired to make a trip overseas. Try not to worry, my Grandda is as kind as they come. I tell him he’s my second favourite person in the world.”

Faith giggled. She couldn’t wait to meet him. She only hoped he liked her too. “And I’m guessing Uncle Joe will pick you up. Mom will probably be working.”

Bree nodded. That was good, it would give her time to calm her nerves. The sisters hugged goodbye one last time. “Remember to text me as soon as you can.”

“Faith, your ride is here.” One of the counsellors yelled from across the field.

“That’s you.” Faith reminded her sister.

Bree inhaled and exhaled deeply, urging herself to calm down. If she didn’t, it would be a dead giveaway and their plans would be ruined.

Bree walked over to a blue jeep, the one Faith had said her Uncle usually drove. A tall African American man was waiting just outside and she immediately recognized him from Faith’s pictures.

“Uncle Joe.” She said excitedly, gain the courage to rush over to him.

“Hey squirt.” The older man smiled in greeting. From what Faith had explained, Joe and Gail had no children of their own yet, so they saw Faith as kind of a surrogate daughter. 

He leaned down and hugged the girl. Bree pulled back and looked him in the eyes, trying to see if he sensed that anything was wrong. When he didn’t immediately say anything, she let out a calming breath.

“How was camp? I wouldn’t know considering you only texted me twice.” Joe said with a laugh.

Bree was about to say something when he held up a hand.

“Don’t worry, I just assumed you were too busy with your new friends.” 

Bree nodded. “I was, but Camp was amazing.” She tested out her American accent, deciding it didn’t sound half bad.  
“And what’s with the hair?” Joe laughed. “You would never agree to let your mom cut it or straighten it for that matter.”

Bree’s eyes widened. She had forgotten all about Faith’s long hair. “I just decided it was time for a change.” She shrugged, trying to brush it off.

“Well I like it.” Joe assured her. “I’m sure your mother will too.”

Bree smiled in relief. “Speaking of mom, is she working?”

She barely noticed the flicker, but Joe’s smiled faded for a second before beaming once more. She decided she liked his smiled, it made her feel safe and assured all at once.

“She was when I left, but she should be off now.” Joe explained. “She has a surprise for you at home.”

“A good or bad one?” Bree asked nervously. 

“You’ll have to decide for yourself.” Was all Joe said before throwing her bags into the back seat and motioning for her to get in.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith meets a few familiar faces...and one she's yearned for her entire life.

Chapter 6

Faith, trying her best to “play” Brianna, waited patiently for her Grandfather to pick her up. Brianna had warned her that it might take a bit longer for him to get there as a result of all the traffic between the airport and the camp. She still couldn’t believe she had let her sister talk her into this. She knew it was necessary for them to get their parents together, and she was excited to meet her father, but that didn’t make it any less nerve-wrecking.

“Brianna, your ride is here.” The counsellor called. Faith had zoned out for a second in thought and almost forgot to respond. She stood up, heaved her bag onto her shoulder and followed the counsellor to a black car waiting in the parking lot.

She looked on nervously as someone opened the door and stepped out from the backseat. He was one of the tallest men she had ever seen, with jet black hair, deep blue eyes and the kindest smile.

“There’s my lass!” The man greeted. “How are you a nighean?”

Faith smiled shakily and swallowed her nerves. He opened his long arms and suddenly all her nervous energy vanished. It was like all of a sudden, it just felt natural to run into his arms. Like she had been doing it all her life. She remembered her mom explaining to her about muscle memory and figured it was similar to that.  
“Grandda!” She exclaimed in her best Scottish accent. He didn’t seem to notice any difference, so she took it as a good thing.

“Did ye grow another foot?” Brian said with a teasing grin on his face. “Christ lass, soon you’ll be as tall as me.” He brought her in for another hug. “Was camp as good as ye thought it would be?”

Faith, as Brianna, shrugged. “It was fine, but I missed you and Da, and Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ian.” She rattled off various family members.

Brian laughed. “Well I’m glad you seemed to like it leannan. Ye look braw.”

Faith scrunched her nose, trying to remember what that term meant. She just decided to go with it, she would look it up later.

“Did you make any friends?” Brian asked. “I ken your Da heard you mention one girl, but he never said her name.”

Faith smiled. “I made lots of friends, but yes one girl in particular. Her name was Fae. She reminded me a lot of myself.”

“That’s good to hear lass. Maybe you’ll be in touch. Are you ready to head for home?” Brian gestured to the car, or limo, behind him.

Faith nodded, climbing into the vehicle. 

“How’s Da?” She asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“He just got back from his trip, ye ken.” Brian sighed. “He was fair tired when I left and not in great spirits. He’ll be much happier when yer home, Bree. He was just flustered from dealing with your Uncle.”

Faith grimaced. Bree had mentioned their Uncles, Colum and Dougal, and it sounds like they were 2 people she didn’t wish to cross.

“I missed him.” She said, knowing the older man would never know just how much.

“He’s missed ye too, lass. It took a bit of convincin’ from me to stop him from coming to get you, but I ken ye would want him rested and in good spirits when ye came home.” Brian laughed.

Faith nodded in agreement. 

“So, I want to hear more about this camp of yer’s.” Brian asked and Faith decided that that would be a great way to pass the time on the plane. She told him every detail of her time at camp, but left out Brianna’s name and their discovery. 15 hours later, half of that which was spent sleeping, they arrived in Scotland.

Faith followed Brian out of the airport to a large parking area. She was surprised, she thought they would take a limo back to Lallybroch as well. Faith looked around trying to guess which vehicle he would be driving.

“Are ye still sleep deprived or did all yer time at camp make you forget what the Land Rover looks like?” Brian laughed.

Faith blushed, following him to a grey Land Rover. It seemed kind of large considering the roads in Scotland were supposed to be very narrow, but who was she to complain.

On the way back to Lallybroch, Faith took in the amazing Scottish scenery. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before in Boston. The rolling hills filled with heather, the sheep dotting the landscape, mountains along the horizon, castles popping up out of the blue, it was beyond her expectations. 

“Ye alright there, Bumblebee?” Brian asked, using his nickname for Brianna.

Faith nodded in awe. “I guess I just realized how much I missed it here. It’s so different from America.”

Brian smirked. “No so many tall buildings.”

Faith giggled and turned to him. “Something like that.”

They arrived at Lallybroch sooner than expected, and Faith could feel her nerves coming back.

She looked around the large expanse of the yard, with the old stone buildings which she guessed housed the various animals and machinery. There were a handful of dogs running all around, chickens pecking about, and a few dozen barn cats. It was the polar opposite of her own home in Boston with its small yard. The thing that stood out to her most was the house, or castle more like. It was clearly very old (300 years Brianna had mentioned), but very well taken care of. It was 3 stories with large windows, beautiful stonework and a wide-arch door. It looked like an estate manor, but it had an obvious homely feel as well. Faith could only imagine growing up here.

“Well are ye just goin’ to stand there, or are you goin’ to give your Aunt a hug.” A booming voice came from her right. Faith looked to see a very short, thin woman with jet black hair and familiar blue eyes. She recognized her right away from the pictures.  
“Aunt Jenny.” She rushed over. Brianna had told her that Jenny could come off as tough, that her voice often made people feel intimidated, but that underneath it all, she was a teddy bear.

“A leannan.” Jenny beamed at her niece, pulling the girl, who stood head to head with her, into a hug. “We missed ye somethin’ fierce.”

“I’ve missed you as well.” Faith said, immediately feeling comfortable in her Aunt’s presence.

“Ye ken, if you head over to the barn, I bet you’d find someone who missed ye even more.” Jenny pointed straight ahead of her.

Faith nodded with a bright smile, doing her best to hide how anxious she was. She walked shakily over to the barn, looked inside and noticed a very large, familiar looking, red-headed man fixing a broken down tractor. Bree had said he sometimes worked on machines when he was feeling anxious and needed to calm down.

“Da?” Faith asked in a low voice.

Jamie stopped what he was doing right away, and turned towards that voice. It sounded different to him somehow, more mature in a way, but he just thought it might have been a summer away from him that made it seem that way. “Bree.” He wiped his hands on a dirty towel, and placed it on the tractor.

Faith immediately ran to him, overwhelmed but unbelievably happy to be in his arms for the first time since she could remember.

Jame’s arms immediately went around her as his smile grew 10x its previous size. There was nothing as amazing as having his daughter near and in his arms. He kissed her crown repeatedly as he felt a dampness on his arm. “Lass?” He pulled away, noticing the tears falling from her eyes. “Are ye alright?”

Faith nodded with a beaming grin on her face, feeling more content than she had in a long while. “Never been better.” Her eyes glistened. “I just missed ye.”

Jamie chuckled. “I ken the feeling. You are never going back to that camp.” He joked. “Now whats say we go invade the kitchen and ye tell me all about yer time at camp.” He put his arm around Faith, slowly walking them to the house, picking up her fallen bag along the way.

“Wild horses couldna stop me.” Faith said in her brogue. She’d follow him for as long as she could.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another long awaited reunion take place...

Chapter 7

They pulled up to a large Brownstone house on a treed street in Boston. Cars lined both sides of the roads, creating only a narrow space for vehicles to pass through. The homes were separated by black iron fences and each had a small front yard closed off by a gate. Bree decided she liked this area, it actually reminded her of a place in Glasgow her Da had showed her once with a similar set up. 

She stared, wide-eyed, as Joe pulled up to a home in the very center of the street. It was one of the largest homes and the outside was decorated with beautiful flowers and a small bench sat just outside the front door. Brianna remembered Faith telling her that Claire loved to spend her free time gardening, it was a hobby for her.

“Its beautiful.” She whispered.

Joe looked at her suspiciously, overhearing her. “You act like you haven’t called this place home for most of your life.” He laughed.

Bree chuckled nervously, afraid she’d been caught. “I guess I always just expect things to change when I come back.” 

“Well I can confirm that pretty well everything is the same.” Joe said with a smirk on his face. Brianna was quickly coming to realize that smirk never seemed to leave, and she liked that about him. “Well little lady, are you ready to see your Mom? I know she’s missed you loads.”

Bree nodded, her nerves were getting the better of her. She was excited but at the same time there was fear. She still wondered how her mother would feel when the truth came out.

Joe got out and pulled her bag out of the back of the vehicle, throwing it over his shoulder with a practiced ease. Brianna followed him up the narrow sidewalk and watched him open the front door, half expecting Claire to pop right out. 

They walked in and Bree looked around. The house was huge, maybe not as large as the one she grew up in, but it had a nice homely feel that she was used to. It was grand, with crown molding all around the ceilings, pillars separating rooms in the shape of roman columns. The floors were a shiny hardwood and all the furniture looked vintage but comfortable. Brianna loved it immediately, there was a great deal of it that reminded her of home. Clearly Claire and Jamie had similar styles.

“You know, I’m willing to bet your Mom is upstairs taking a nap. Her car is parked outside so she is definitely home.” Joe said as he came back from the kitchen area.

Brianna nodded a response as she stared at the grand staircase in front of her. Just 12 steps separated her from her mother, the closest she had been in 12 years. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering like crazy as she climbed the stairs slowly, one by one. There were 3 rooms upstairs and Bree could immediately tell which was Faith’s room as it was marked with a letter ‘F’ in cursive, purple writing. Faith had said the room directly across from hers was Claire’s. Seeing that the door was partially closed, Brianna wondered if she should knock first.

She heard her mother on the phone with someone, Claire’s posh British voice coming through crystal clear, it didn’t seem to have been at all affected by the last 12 years in America, it was as thick as ever.

Brianna pushed the door open slowly, taking in the large master-suite. Claire’s room was all white with various paintings and pictures dotting the walls. Her bed was a large king bed that looked comfortable enough to just dive right in. Her bedside table held pictures of her and Faith and one that shockingly enough looked like a photo of her at 9 years old. Could someone have given her mother a picture of her at some point?

Claire looked up, having noticed movement from her bedroom door. A mile-wide grin crossed her face when she saw who it was. 

“I’m sorry, darling, I really have to go, someone just got home.” She hinted, clearly knowing the person on the other side of the line knew who she was referring too. “I’ll talk to you soon. Yes you’ll meet her eventually, let her settle in first.” Claire said with a laugh, all the while looking at Bree.

“Hello my love!” Claire beamed, getting up from her seat on the edge of the bed, immediately walking over to who she assumed was Faith. She didn’t hesitate as she threw her arms around Bree, and Bree melted into her mother’s embrace, immediately feeling overcome with emotion.

“Mama.” She tried, knowing that’s what Faith called her.

“Are you alright darling?” Claire asked, pulling away from their embrace, and sensing her daughter’s emotions, her hands cupped Bree’s cheeks.

Bree nodded through thick tears. “I just really missed you.”

Claire pulled her back into their embrace. “Oh lovey, I missed you as well. Please tell me you hated camp and never want to go back?” Claire joked.

Bree laughed, loving her mother’s warm sense of humor. “Maybe someday, but not for a long while.”

Claire nodded, happy with that response. She took her daughter’s hands and lead her over to the bed. “So tell me everything.”

“You already know most of it, I texted you almost every day.” Brianna giggled, all the while trying to keep her American accent on point.

Claire rolled her eyes. “You know, they say teenagers never want to talk, and I’m beginning to see that.” She tapped Bree’s nose with her finger.

Brianna gave her mother an eye roll in return, already feeling comfortable enough to do so in her mother’s presence. Claire gave off a warm and friendly vibe that made her want to be around her. “What do you want to know?”

“Well tell me, who cut your hair and how did they convince you to let them?” Claire smoothed Bree’s hair with one hand. “I’ve been trying for years.”

Brianna laughed at that, remembering Joe had said the same thing. “So you like it?” She asked nervously, even though her hair actually wasn’t any different.

“I don’t like it, I love it.” Claire said with a smile, still playing with the ends of her shoulder length hair. “It’s very grown up.”

Brianna let out a sigh of relief, her mother like her look. “Thank you.” She blushed. “It was my friend from camp who convinced me I should do it, she said it was in style.”

Claire nodded. “Well if you’re in contact with her, thank her for me.”

“I will.” Brianna agreed.

“So did you have the time of your life?” Claire asked. “I hoped you would.”

“It was really fun and eye opening.” Bree said.

Claire looked at her oddly. “Eye-opening how?”

Bree shrugged. “I don’t know, it just was.”

Claire chose not to comment anymore, looking at the time. “Oh I’m sorry, love, I have a quick meeting at the hospital to go to.”

Brianna looked down sadly, she wanted to spend more time with her mother. She’d only been around her for a few minutes and already adored her. “Oh okay.”

Claire tipped her chin up. “But of course you are coming with me, afterwards we will go for ice cream how does that sound?”

Bree looked surprised. “You want me to come to work with you?”

Claire laughed, clearly not used to that question from her daughter. “You really think I would let you out of my sight after being separated for almost 2 months?”

“I guess not.” Bree said.

“Besides, we are going out for dinner later tonight, I have someone I want to introduce you too.” Claire explained.

A bad feeling crept into Bree’s stomach, she didn’t like the sound of that. “Is that the surprise Uncle Joe was talking about?”

Claire nodded. “I wish he hadn’t said anything.” She sighed.

“That’s all he told me, I promise.” Bree felt bad for getting Joe in trouble.

Claire shook her head. “No Faith, it’s alright. You just caught me off guard.”

Brianna nodded in understanding, still feeling guilty. Claire smiled reassuringly at her, took her hand once again and got off the bed.

“The sooner we get ready, the sooner we get ice cream, your favourite.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brianna learns some information that could put a halt in her and Faith's plans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took me so long to upload. This chapter has been done for a week or so but I just have not had the time to edit it. My work life is crazy busy right now with the Holidays approaching. I will try to have the next chapter up sooner, but no guarantees.

Chapter 8

Brianna sat waiting in her mother’s office as Claire finished her meeting. Her mother had introduced her to various co-workers, including her two closest friends (besides Joe), Geillis and Louise. Brianna had worried when meeting Geillis (who was also coincidentally a Scot), that she would be able to detect Bree’s accent, but if she did, not a word was said. Bree spun her mother’s chair around, feeling slightly bored. She had looked at all the pictures scattered on the desk, checked all her social media accounts on the computer, and read over a file sitting on Claire’s desk. She hoped this meeting wouldn’t take much longer.

Claire walked into the office minutes later looking winded, like she had just run from wherever she was. “I’m sorry lovey, I didn’t mean to take so long.” She apologized. “That meeting went on much longer than they said it would. I hope you weren’t too bored.”

Bree shrugged. “Can we go now?”

Claire laughed knowingly. “Your mind is on ice cream.”

Bree nodded, although she just really didn’t want to be stuck in the hospital any longer. Hospitals had always made her queasy, perhaps because she had spent a lot of time in them when she was younger with various broken bones. All part of growing up on a working farm.

Claire held out her hand as she gathered her coat on her arm. Bree smiled and took the offered hand, swinging her mother’s arm as they walked.

“You know, I think you have actually gotten taller since I last saw you.” Claire said as she studied her daughter.

“Well I am a growing girl, almost a woman you know.” Bree said.

Claire laughed, but nodded in agreement. “Just don’t be in too much of a hurry to grow up, okay?”

Bree agreed as Claire began talking about her summer. Bree thought that she could listen to her mother’s voice all day. She wanted to take a recording just in case things didn’t work out the way her and Faith wanted and she wouldn’t see her mother again for a long while. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Claire asked. “You’re being awfully quiet.”

Bree winced. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t actually been listening to what her mother was saying. “Yes I’m sorry, just thinking. What were you saying?”

Claire gave her a strange looked but brushed it off as they approached the ice cream stand. They ordered 2 scoops of mint chocolate chip each and sat down on a bench near the water.

“Isn’t this going to ruin our dinner appetite?” Bree asked with a laugh.

Claire shrugged. “It’s a special occasion. It’s not every day my best girl comes back after being gone for 2 months.”

Bree nodded sadly. “It felt longer some days.” She admitted.

“But you had fun?” Claire asked as she polished of her cone.

“Yes, it was a blast.” She felt strange using the American slang Faith had taught her.

“I’m glad.” Claire assured her. Just then something, or rather someone caught her eye. Claire stood up and walked the few feet that stood between her and a strange man with dark hair, dark eyes and of average height. He looked very distinguished, like he could be a scholar of some sort. Bree immediately became suspicious of him.

“I told you we would meet you at the restaurant.” She could overhear Claire saying in a semi-hushed tone. “I wanted to talk with her before I introduced you.”

“Well I just couldn’t wait to meet her, you’ve spoken of her so much these last couple of months.” The man, with a thick British accent, said.

“Frank…” Claire warned at the man strode past her mother and knelt down in front of her as Bree sat on the bench, confused. That was his mistake number one.

“Hello, you must be Faith. I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Frank, I’m a friend of your mother’s.” He stuck out his hand.

Bree gave her mother an exasperated look, and she could read the apology on Claire’s face. She knew this wasn’t how her mother had wanted this meeting to go down. Bree stood to her full height, nearly as tall as the man in front of her, and shook his hand.

“Name’s Faith, put’ter there.” She shook his arm violently.

“Faith.” Claire said in surprise at her reaction. Bree could here the warning tone in her mother’s voice, but Frank seemed clueless.

“You’ve got quite the arm there Faith.” Frank said as he shook his own arm out, a popping sound coming from a few of the joints. “You must be an athlete.”

Bree nodded. She knew Faith had played various sports all her life, as had she. 

“So your mother tells me you’ve been at camp for almost 2 months. What a lucky girl you are.” Frank said in a patronizing tone.

Bree rolled her eyes. Was this man for real? “Yeah I was, but I’m back now. And funny because my mom hasn’t mentioned anything about you.” She shot Claire an annoyed look.

“Well I’m sure she was getting around to it.” Frank said. “Your mother and I have grown quite close in recent months.

“How do you know each other?” Bree asked, looking at Claire for an explanation.

Claire came over and stood next to her daughter, taking her hand and sitting her down. “You know how I spent the last few months teaching that anatomy class at the university?”

Faith hadn’t mentioned that part, so Brianna just nodded like she had known it all along. 

“Well Frank is a history professor there and we met at various work functions.” Claire explained. “We’ve become good friends.”

“Quite good friends.” Frank said, putting a hand on Claire’s shoulder. Mistake number two.

“Frank.” Claire warned again. 

Bree could sense that Frank didn’t really care for the sight of her. She could tell he wanted her mother all to himself. 

“In fact, we have become more than friends, we’ve been dating since you’ve been gone.” Frank explained.

Bree shot her mother a glance, looking for confirmation. Claire nodded slowly, trying to remain in some control of this conversation.

“Why now?” Bree asked her mother.

“What do you mean, darling?” Claire asked in confusion.

“I mean you never date. You’ve never gone out with anyone, to my knowledge, since my father.” Bree said, emphasizing the word father. “And now I’m gone for a few weeks and suddenly you’re playing the field?”

“Faith!” Claire exclaimed in shock at her daughter’s tone. “I understand this is a shock and you have every right to be confused, but that is no way to talk to me, nor is it a way to behave in front of my friend.”

“Don’t you mean boyfriend?” Bree asked.

Claire pursed her lips, trying to keep her temper in check. “Apologize to Frank.”

Bree shook her head defiantly. This isn’t how she wanted her first day with her mother to go, but come on.

“It’s alright, Claire.” Frank said reassuringly. “Let the girl get it out. She will get used to it eventually.” His tone was even, but she sensed a warning in it as well.

“I have a headache.” Bree complained, rubbing her temples. “I want to go home.”

“Faith, lovey, we are going to dinner.” Claire reminded her.  
Bree shook her head. “Please mama, I just want to lay down for a while. This is a lot to process.”

Claire shot an apologetic look to Frank, who looked annoyed, but assured her it was alright.

Claire sighed as she placed an arm around her daughter to lead her to the car. After they got in, Bree shot a quick text to Faith.

“Call me as soon as ye can.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith's questions begin to rise suspicions in some family members...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. I'm so sorry for how long it has taken me to upload this and for how short this chapter is. Work has been extremely hectic and the holidays left me exhausted. The stint I had with writer's block didn't help, but my creativity was sparked once again.
> 
> I will not have a regular posting schedule as per usual, but I will definitely try and upload more soon.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter ;) We are slowly getting to the climax of the story and a long awaited reunion.

Chapter 9

Faith watched her father muck out the stables. Bree had mentioned that although Jamie had a distinguished job working for his Uncles, he still helped around the farm whenever he could. Apparently working with horses, even shoveling their poop, was something that relaxed him.

“Ye’ right there, lass?” Jamie asked peering over his shoulder at his daughter.

Faith gave her father a quick nod. “Just thinking.”

“About how much ye missed yer father?” His accent becoming thicker as he teased her.

Faith chuckled, something that pleased Jamie to no end to hear. “You know I miss ye, Da. And Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ian and Grandda..”

“Okay I get the picture.” Jamie laughed. “But ye had a grand time at camp?”

“The best.” She said honestly. “But I’m glad to be home.”

She couldn’t believe how fast she was adapting to life at Lallybroch and it had only been a day. She loved how free she felt roaming around the farm and the surrounding lands. She loved being around so many animals, never having had a pet as a child. And she especially loved being surrounded by so much family. Bree didn’t know how good she had it here. She could picture what it would have been like to grow up here and it made her a tiny bit resentful to her parents for depriving her of that.

“I’m just going to finish up in here, why don’t you go see if yer Aunt could use a hand?” Jamie suggested.

Faith agreed and walked the short walk back to the house. She was learning her way around the old manor, thanks to Bree’s hastily drawn map that she’d put on her phone. The house was huge and homely. She would have loved to see if in its hay day when it operated as the Laird’s property.  
Faith found Jenny in the kitchen helping Mrs. Crook, the family cook, make dinner for the large brood.

“Auntie, I’m supposed to ask if ye need any help?” Faith asked, feeling a little nervous. She really liked Jenny but the woman could be foreboding despite her tiny stance.

Jenny gave her niece a warm smile and nodded. She pointed to a pile of dough sitting on the counter. “You could knead the dough for the bread, it was your favourite job as a child.”

Faith grinned, that must be something her and Bree had in common. She stood next to her Aunt and slowly began to knead.

After a few minutes her job was complete and she stood next to the counter, watching them work in silence.

“Aunt Jenny, could I ask ye a question?” Faith asked.

“Of course, leannan.” Jenny said.

“What do you remember about my mother?” 

Jenny stopped what she was doing and looked over at Mrs. Crook in alarm, clearly not having expected that question.

“Why do ye ask, Brianna?” Jenny asked. “Ye hav’na asked questions about her in years.”

Faith swallowed and fiddled with her hands, a nervous habit she had picked up in recent years. She shrugged. “I guess I’ve just been thinking about her a lot lately. I saw a lot of kids my age being dropped at camp by their mothers and I guess it just got me thinkin’.”

Jenny nodded in understanding, her eyes showed sympathy for her young niece. She couldn’t imagine having grown up without a mother the way Brianna had, and Faith she reminded herself, thinking of her other niece, growing up without her father. The one who had no idea she had a whole other family out there who loved her. To this day she hated what her former sister-in-law and brother had done. There had been no good reason to separate the two girls, at least in her eyes. Still, she didn’t wish to upset Bree any further, so she kept her tone neutral.

“I do remember her verra well.” Jenny said adding a small smile as she thought of Claire, her good-sister, as she had so often referred to her. “Ye remind me a great deal about her.”

“Really?” Faith asked in surprise. “I always thought I looked like my father.”

“Ye definitely do. The red hair, the eyes, the height, those are all Jamie.” Jenny laughed. “But yer curls, your nose and smile, those are all your mother...Claire.” She finished.

Faith nodded knowingly. “How else do I remind you of her?”

“Well, for one, your inability to not swear like a sailor when you think no one is lookin’.” Jenny gave her a scournful look, although the glint in her eyes told Faith she was joking. “Yer need to care endlessly for others is from her as well. She was a doctor you know.”

“I know.” Faith said. 

“And what reminds me the most of yer mother is yer strength and passion to stand up for what ye believe in at all costs.” Jenny concluded proudly, reaching over to brush a strand of hair off Faith’s shoulder.

“Thank you Aunt Jenny.” Faith gave her aunt a hug.

“Anytime, lass. I know its been hard for ye not knowing, but if ye ever have a question about her, ye can come to me.” Jenny assured.

“And Da?” She asked.

Jenny grimaced and shook her head. “I think that would be too painful. She was the love of his life and losing her was very difficult for him.”

“So then why are they not still together?” Faith asked.

Jenny shrugged, not knowing. “I’m not sure, Bree. I’ve never wanted to ask and yer Da’s never been one to tell.”

Faith sighed. “Maybe someday I’ll know.”

“Maybe someday you will.” Jenny agreed. “But that day is not today. How about ye set the table for dinner?”

Faith eagerly agreed and grabbed the pile of plates and silverware from the counter.

Once she put the plates down she noticed her phone lit up with a notification. She opened the app and hit Bree’s contact. There were several messages all with variations of the same thing. “Call pronto.” was the last message received.

That could only mean one thing in her mind. Their cover was blown.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A startling phone call, and a long-awaited reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I managed to get this chapter done and uploaded much faster than the previous two. I hope it is worth the wait. Thank you so much to everyone who is reviewing, they mean a lot! This story will only have 4 or 5 chapters left, so it is coming to an end here shortly. I am already trying to come up with some ideas for new stories because I really enjoy writing for this fandom.
> 
> Thanks again!

Chapter 10

Faith looked around, trying to seem inconspicuous. There was no one around her at the moment so she quickly snuck into one of the many supply closets in the house. She really hoped her mother didn’t check their phone bill any time soon because an international call like this would surely mean an extended grounding when all this was said and done.

Luckily for her, Bree answered on the second ring, and not a moment too soon.

“What’s going on?” Faith asked without even a greeting for her sister. She could imagine the roll of Bree’s eyes at that.

“Hullo to ye too.” Bree said sarcastically.

“Sorry, hi Brianna, how are you?” Faith replied semi-jokingly.

“No time for that. We have a situation.” Bree said. “We need to tell them everything and now.”

Faith was shocked at her sister’s tone. Bree had been the one who had originally come up with this whole idea. “What? No. I’m just getting to know Da, I’m not ready to switch back yet.”

“We need to, Faith. We need to tell them what we know.” Bree sounded so serious that Faith immediately picked up on it. “Mam has a boyfriend.”

“She has a WHAT?” Faith shrieked and her eyes widened. She quickly opened the door to check that there was no one there. “Sorry.” She apologized for probably ruining her sister’s hearing, but this was completely unexpected. “But she’s never had one in all the years we’ve been living in Boston. She’s never even dated that I know of.”

“So I gathered.” Bree sighed. 

“What can you tell me about him?” Faith questioned.

“I don’t ken much about him, other than his name is Frank and he’s English.” Bree said. “I didn’t take it verra well when Mam told me.”

Faith chuckled at that. She could picture Bree having a meltdown. “What did you do?”

“I may have yelled at him and then at her and demanded they bring me home.” 

“That’s exactly what I would do. See we are related.” Faith joked.

“Yeah because the curly red hair and height wasn’t a dead give away.” Bree retorted.  
Faith smirked, but then remembered she would have to be the first one to blow their cover. “What do we do?”

“I think you need to tell Da first.” Bree said.

“I was just thinking the exact same thing. Then we need to come up with a meeting place.” 

“I overheard Frank and Mam talking before. He wants to take us to his beach house in the Hamptons this weekend.” Bree explained.

Faith scrunched her nose in distaste. “He sounds like a rich asshole.”

“Faith.” Bree pretended to be scandalized by her sister’s language. Usually Faith was the prim and proper one. “But yer no wrong.”

“Okay, I will talk to Da. You get me the address of his beach house and we will meet you there. Don’t say anything to Mama for now.” Faith instructed, sounding far older than her 13 years.

“Okay. And Faith?” Bree asked.

“Yeah Bree?”

“Play it cool.” Bree suggested.

Faith laughed. “You almost sounded American there.”

“I’ve had lots of practice.” Bree joked and promptly hung up after a quick goodbye.

Faith nervously placed her phone back in her pocket. She exited the closet and went to find her family just sitting down to dinner.

“Something on yer mind there, lass?” Her Grandda asked her seeing the troubled look on her face.

Jamie looked up just in time to see Faith trying to straighten her features. He frowned, looking worriedly at his daughter. “Brianna, yer Grandda asked ye a question.”

“I’m fine, just talking to someone from camp.” She shrugged it off like it was just a normal conversation.

“Are ye sure?” Jamie asked.

Faith nodded, sitting down for supper. This was going to be one hell of a conversation.

An hour later, the table had been cleared and everyone in the house had went their separate directions. Faith had ended up back in Brianna’s room trying to figure out what she was going to say to her father. She knew she had to treat it like she was ripping a bandaid off. That was always easiest, rather than prolonging it.

Faith anxiously made the short walk to Jamie’s office and knocked on the door, knowing he was doing some paperwork for the distillery.

“Come in.” Jamie instructed.

“Da?” Faith asked.

“Bree, a nighean, what can I do for ye?” Jamie asked, lighting up at seeing his daughter. He knew she must be troubled by something because she rarely made trips to his office unless it was important.

“Actually, the name is Faith, not Brianna.” Faith mumbled quietly, her volume almost too low for Jamie to hear. He did catch some of it though.

“Say what?” He asked, eyes widening slightly and his posture straightening. 

Faith knew this was it, the bandaid had been ripped off. “I said my name is Faith, not Brianna. Brianna is my sister, but you should know that.”

Jamie’s eyes widened to a comical level as he stood and started to pace. “How could ye possibly ken about Faith?”

Faith rolled her eyes. Adults were so dense sometimes. “Because I am Faith. Brianna and I met at camp this summer and we figured out who we truly were to each other. We had a picture of you that was ripped down the centre. The side I had was of you and Bree had one of Mama.”

Jamie stopped pacing when he heard her explanation. He came over and sat on the edge of his desk just staring at his daughter. The more he looked at her, the more he could see the slight differences. Although the twins had been identical, Bree had had more freckles as a child then Faith appeared to have. Faith had taken more after Claire and had freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose. He could also see a tiny scar on her forehead, whereas he knew Brianna didn’t have a scar there.

“Ye really are Faith.” He said after a few moments.

Faith beamed and nodded as Jamie opened his arms, welcomingly. “Da!” She exclaimed as she ran to him.

“Oh darlin’, I’ve miss ye.” Jamie told her as he kissed her crown and held her tightly, leaning his head on hers.

“You have?” She questioned.

Jamie nodded emphatically. “More then ye ken.”

Faith smiled at that, glad he didn’t seem angry. “You mean your not mad?”

“Mad? I’m getting to meet the daughter I’ve wanted to know for so long. How could I be mad about that?” Jamie asked.

Faith sighed, knowing that they had to get serious. “Because Bree is in Boston with Mama.”

Jamie nodded, he had figured as much. “I figured that much out me-self.” He chuckled. “We will need to get you two switched back. Technically, yer mother has custody of you and I of Bree.”

Faith understood but that didn’t mean she had to agree with it. “And what if Bree and I no longer wish to accept that arrangement?”

Jamie gave her a long hard look before he burst into a fit of laughter. 

“What?” Faith asked defiantly.

“Ye just reminded me so much of yer mother just now.” He continued to laugh. “It’ll be alright, lass, we will figure something out. Now that you two know, we won’t be able to keep you separated the way we have been. Nor do I wish to have ye out of my life again.”

Faith nodded, hugging him again. “So now what?”

“Well I still have to get ye back to yer mother, and Bree needs to come home, but we will figure it out from there, I promise. I’m going to assume Claire has no idea about any of this?” Jamie spoke his ex-wife’s name out-loud for the first time in 12 years.

“That’s right.” Faith said. “I told Bree to keep it quiet for now.”

“Well she needs to know. We need to find a meeting spot.” Jamie said.

Faith agreed. “Yeah about that…”

And with that, the rug was pulled out from Jamie again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't go as hoped...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,  
I am back with a new chapter, one of the last few chapters. I have taken a few liberties with this chapter, so please forgive me.
> 
> I have a basic understanding of what happened at Culloden (based on the little I remember learning in high school and from what i've picked up on from Outlander).
> 
> I also have no knowledge of Martha's Vineyard. I've only ever really heard mention of it, so please ignore any mistakes on my part. I am Canadian not American, so this isn't really a place I'm familiar with.
> 
> As always, I appreciate all reviews and kudos.
> 
> Thank you!!

Chapter 11

Bree had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as Frank drawled on and on about a book he was writing on the Scottish Uprising and the 1746 Battle of Culloden. What did he know about Scottish history? He was English, right down to his perfectly poised and polished accent.

“And did you know my many times great grandfather was a war hero who died at Culloden fighting the enemy Jacobites?” Frank asked with more passion in his tone then he had had about anything she had heard from him in the past 3 days. They were on their way to his Beach house at Martha’s Vineyard, travelling in his Jaguar.  
l  
“Yes Frank you’ve mentioned this all before.” Claire replied from her spot in the front seat. Bree smirked, she could tell her mother was growing bored with their current conversation.

“What was it about the Jacobites that made them the enemies?” Bree asked. Her tone was snarky, but there was also a hint of genuine interest in what he had to say. As a Scot born and raised, she knew all about the Jacobite history, but she was curious to hear about it from a different perspective. “As far as I can tell they were just defending their way of life.”

“Faith.” Claire gently chided, no real bite to her tone.

“Its alright, Claire.” Frank assured. “I can appreciate the question.” His focus turned to Bree who wanted to shrink back at the glint in his eyes. “To answer your question, Faith, the Highlander way of life would have come to an end whether they wanted it to or not. Times were changing and the English helped them to catch up with the rest of the world.”

“By destroying their way of life? Their culture? That doesn’t seem right. Is that not unlike what European settlers did to Native Americans in America?” Bree answered.

“Well I’m sorry you see it that way. In some ways I do see your point, it is upsetting that they lost so much of what made them who they were. But without the intervention of the English, they might still be living in the dark ages.” Frank explained.

“Why the sudden interest in Scottish history, Faith?” Claire asked curiously. She had mentioned to Faith that her father was Scottish, but up until this point, Faith had showed no real interest in her familial background.

Bree didn’t know how to respond to that. As a Scot, it was ingrained in her from a young age to learn about her country’s history, but there was no reason for Faith to have known that.

“I uh...I was just reading a book on Scottish history.” She said with a shrug. “History is becoming an interest of mine.”

Claire nodded as if that was explanation enough.  
“Well, welcome to Martha’s Vineyard.” Frank said moments later as they arrived in a coastal area with vacation properties of every size. It was impressive, but not near as impressive as the coastal regions and Highlands of Scotland. Bree realized, for not the first time, how much she missed home.

“Its wonderful, dear.” Claire said as she took his hand as he helped her out of the vehicle. Claire opened the back door for her daughter and gave, who she thought was Faith, a reassuring smile. She knew this was an unexpected trip, but she hoped it would allow them to bond.

Bree tried to smile back in return, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She really hoped her Da and Faith got here soon because she didn’t know how much more fake politeness she could take.

“Why don’t I show you my house?” Frank suggested as he began to lead them past a row of relatively large homes.

Bree tugged on her mother’s hand, which had been clasped with her own. “I think I’m going to explore.”

“Faith, I really think we should stick together.” Claire implored.

Bree shook her head. “Please Mama, it was a long trip. I just want to stretch my legs.

Claire sighed but agreed. “Alright but no more than half an hour. You know the number?”

Bree nodded and recited it as Claire gave her a hug.

Bree walked over to a tree line a few dozen yards away from where her mother and Frank had turned off. She pulled out her phone, noticing a message.

“Here. Meet us at the Village Cafe.” Faith’s message popped up.

Bree breathed a sigh of relief, finally some back up. She hurriedly crossed the street and ran up the two blocks to the cafe she had noticed upon entering the area. She walked in and noticed Faith and her father sitting at a table, eating Sundaes and laughing over something. She was glad to see them getting along, even if she was slightly jealous.

“Da.” Bree shouted, only to raise a few heads.

Jamie looked up and smiled when he saw her. He stood up and quickly crossed the cafe to where Bree stood. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. She relished in the comfort she felt around him. She knew everything would be okay now.

“Bree, its good to see ye, a leannan.” Jamie said as he pulled away. “I’ve missed ye.”

Bree nodded in agreement. “Me too, Da. But ye’ve had Faith to help ye out.”

Jamie barked out a laugh. “I did at that, lass.” He turned and beckoned his other daughter to join them. Faith skipped over and hugged her sister.

Jamie swore he felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at his two lasses standing side by side. Standing together it was easy to see how similar yet how different they were. To those who didn’t know them, they would be practically identical, with the exception of hair styles and clothing preferences. But to the trained eye, the differences were easier to spot. Faith had more freckles around her nose, while Bree had more on her cheeks. Faith was just the slightest bit taller and appeared more poised, something she had clearly got from life with a British mother. Bree was more rough and tumble, thanks to her upbringing at Lallybroch. Both girls appeared confident, but carried it differently. He was absolutely in awe of them both.

“What”” Faith asked her father, far more comfortable now that she could use her normal accent. 

Jamie just smiled and shook his head. “I just can’t believe I have ye both here in front of me.”

Both girls laughed joyfully and hugged him tightly. 

Bree looked at the time and her eyes widened. “We have to go.”

“Why?” Faith asked. “What’s the hurry?” She kind of just wanted to stay in this moment forever.

“I told Mam I’d be back in half an hour.” 

“Guess there’s no time like the present.” Faith sighed.

“Girls, what’s going on?” Jamie asked. “What is there you are no telling me?”

“Da, you may want to sit down.” Faith said.

Jamie rolled his eyes but did as he was told. “I’m waiting.”

“Da, there’s a reason we’ve brought ye here to Martha’s Vineyard.” Bree began slipped back into her native accent. “I ken Faith told ye it was where Mam and she would go sometimes on vacation, which is not a lie, but its also no the entire truth.”

“We have vacationed here before, but this time it is because Mama is here with someone.” Faith explained. “Her boyfriend.”

Jamie sat there stunned. He had never really thought about what would happen if he found out Claire was seeing someone. Sure he knew it was an inevitability, Claire was an amazing woman; beauty, brains, a witty sense of humour. She had it all, but he never let himself think of her with another person. He shouldn’t be surprised and he knew he had no right to be jealous. He had no say in her life anymore. So long as this new man treated his girls alright, he could have no complaints.

“Well girls, I’m not sure what you expect me to say or do.” Jamie said.

That was clearly not the response Bree or Faith hoped for as they both looked downtrodden.

“Claire is a single woman, she’s allowed to have relationships with other men.” He tried, in a vain attempt, to shrug it off.

“But Da…” Bree tried.

“No Brianna, enough is enough. I’ve brought ye and Faith together but she belongs with Claire and ye with me. We will work out an agreement so that you two will have time together, and time with each of us, but that is all this will ever be.” Jamie put his foot down. “Now we need to find Claire and get this whole mess straightened out.”

Both girls looked glumly at one another, but nodded in agreement, following their father out of the cafe. This was not going as planned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final reunion and things aren't going as planned for the twins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo unbelievably sorry that it has taken me this long to get this chapter up. I actually had it written a few weeks ago, but things with work have been crazy ever since this virus started to wreck havoc. I am what they consider an essential worker, so I have been working a lot of overtime lately.  
I hope things are going well as they can be for everyone, and I hope you are all safe and happy.

Chapter 12

Bree knocked on the front door of Frank’s vacation home, only to find a note taped to the buzzer. She recognized the writing as her mother’s neat scrawl.

Darling,

We went down to the beach, please meet us there.

Mama

Bree sighed, showing her father and sister the note. She noticed the look in Jamie’s eyes as he recognized her mother’s writing, it looked like he was in disbelief.

“Come on.” Bree said as she started leading the way towards the entrance to the private beach.

Upon entering, they noticed the beach was nearly empty, save for a couple of kids and their parents at the far end. Bree immediately spotted Frank laying on a chair, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the sun, attempting to read what looked like a newspaper. Her mother was nowhere nearby. 

Faith spotted their mother a few seconds later, her black bikini-clad body standing in the ocean, the water coming up to her calves. “There!” Faith exclaimed, pointing to the figure.

Jamie felt as if he couldn’t breathe, like he was experiencing a panic attack. Ironically enough, Claire would know exactly what to do for that.

“Ye girls go on ahead without me, I need a moment.” He said.

Bree looked at him concerned, but he shot her an assuring look. “Tis alright, lass.”

She nodded then took off after her sister.

Claire had her back turned to the two girls and didn’t notice them come up behind her.

“Hi, Mama.” Faith shouted.

Claire’s body visibly relaxed, like she had been holding in some kind of tension. She turned toward where she heard the voice.

“Faith, you found…” Claire stopped, her thoughts interrupted as she noticed not one but two very familiar faces looking at her, joyful expressions on both their faces. Both girls beamed at her, their cheeks turning red from the heat of the sun.

“Hi Mam.” Bree waved, noticing Claire going into shock.

“You...and you…” Claire gasped, her thoughts moving at a thousand a minute. Before she could gain any sense of this situation, her physical shock took over and she blacked out.

Minutes later she was awakened to find herself laid out on the beach, her eyes opening to look at another very familiar pair of eyes, and a bright red mop of curly hair.

“J...Jamie?” She questioned, eyes squinting, trying to adjust to the sun. She thought for sure that she was seeing things.

“Aye.” He replied, giving her an awkward smile. He held out a hand for her, to help her sit up. She took it, still in disbelief, and immediately felt the electric shock as their fingers touched. Sitting up, she rubbed her forehead.

“I must have hit my head really hard, because I could’ve sworn I just saw…” 

“Hi Mama.” The voices of both twins disrupted her thoughts.

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!” Claire exclaimed. “H..how?”  
“Its a long story, Mom.” Faith answered.

Brianna nodded. “Verra long indeed.”

Claire looked to Brianna in shock. Hours ago she had looked at the same girl and thought she was Faith, but hearing Bree’s accent, sent another shock wave throughout her system. Logically she knew Brianna would have an accent similar to her father, but she had perfected her American accent so well.

“Bree...Brianna?” Claire stammered, holding her arms out for the girl.

Brianna immediately clammered into the arms of her mother, holding tight. Claire breathed in the scent of her long-lost daughter, noticing the subtle differences between Bree and Faith.

“Its me, Mam.” The girl whispered in her ear.

Claire nodded, hands shaking as she pulled away and held the face of her daughter, stroking her cheeks, and combing through her hair. “I know.” Claire smiled at last. “Oh darling, you have no idea how good it is to see you, hold you. I’ve missed you so.”

Claire then looked towards Faith and motioned for her to come to her. Faith did so and hugged her mother tightly.

“I suppose you’ve been with your father then?” Claire asked once things had calmed down.

Faith nodded. “I wanted to meet him and Bree wanted to meet you.”

Claire sighed, trying to grasp the situation. “I suppose you’d both better start from the beginning, like how you even met to begin with.”

And so for the next hour the four sat in the sand as the girls told their story, adding parts that even Jamie had not known up until that point. Frank remained oblivious, focused on his reading.

“Well girls, that’s an incredible story, as unbelievable as it is.” Claire said once they were through. “I’m so very glad you were able to meet and you each were able to spend time with us, but there is still the matter of the custody agreement. Bree, Jamie has custody of you and I of Faith.”

“Aww come on, Mom.” Both girls whined, sounding strangely similar. 

“Ye can’t separate us again.” Bree said. “Its not fair. And I don’t want to go back to a life where you aren’t a part of it either.”

Claire leaned over and stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Oh darling, you don’t have to worry about that. Now that we’ve found each other, you’ll never get rid of me. You can come visit Faith and I, and she can visit you and your Dad in Scotland. And we will talk all the time, I promise.”

“She’s right, girls.” Jamie agreed. “Claire and Faith have a life here, just as Bree and I do back home. It wouldn’t be right to disrupt that right now. Maybe in a few years things will be different, but for now this is how it is.”

Bree and Faith both sighed in defeat, this was not how they imagined things working out.

“Claire, Faith, I was wondering where you’d gone.” A deep, posh voice said from behind them.

Oh yeah and there was that matter to tend to as well...Frank.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation...of sorts.

Chapter 13

Brianna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Frank’s arrival. It had been nice, just having the four of them together...the way it should always be.

Claire gave the man a tight smile as she ushered him over. Frank put his hand on Claire’s shoulder, as a test of claim Jamie thought. He could see by Claire’s grimace that she didn’t care for it. She had always been the independent sort, when they were dating she never even wanted him to hold the door open for her, forget about paying for all their meals. Chivalry mattered little to her, she wanted to be treated as an equal.

She shrugged him off, standing up to their near matching heights, laying a hand on his arm. “Frank this is Jamie….my ex.”

Both men took the time to size the other up. Jamie could understand what she saw in Frank. He was obviously English, like her, he had an ere of superiority, was probably well educated judging by his Professor-like looks, and very polished. A pompous wind-bag (he had heard Brianna use the term) if you asked Jamie, and his total opposite.

Frank on the other hand was startled by Jamie. Claire had talked of an ex, but never would he have thought this was her type. Jamie was a rugged sort, with semi-long curly red hair, similar to Faith’s he noticed, bright blue eyes and a light layer of scruff. He was also menacingly tall, to Frank’s surprise. He always thought he knew Claire’s type, but clearly he had been wrong.

“Frank...nice to meet ye.” Jamie stuck out his hand, politely, his Scottish accent deepening slightly.

Frank shook his hand, looking the other man in the eyes, trying to decide if he should feel threatened or not.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Frank replied, although anyone could tell that it wasn’t meant sincerely. “What brings you to our lovely country? Claire says you live in Scotland.”

Jamie nodded, slightly surprised that Claire had even made mention of him.

“It was unplanned, a last minute trip to take care of something.” Jamie explained.

It was then that Frank noticed someone standing behind Jamie, a girl that was eerily familiar to him, yet at the same time somehow different. He did a double take, shock taking over.

“You...and you.” He pointed to both Faith and Brianna, not sure who was who.

Claire, biting her lip in anxiety, decided it was time to step in. “Frank did I ever mention that Faith was a twin?”

Frank shook his head, looking as if he wanted to bolt. “I think I would remember.”

Claire walked over to Faith and motioned for Brianna to come to her as well. Both girls stood at their mother’s side, one of Claire’s arms around each of them. “I guess proper introductions are in order.”

Faith looked at her mom, more than a little annoyed by the situation. She could already see why Bree disliked this man. He wasn’t who she imagined her mother ever ending up with.

“Frank, this girl on my left is my Faith.” She placed her hand on the top of Faith’s head, rubbing it a little in an effort to calm her. “And this one on my right is my other daughter, Brianna...the one we thought was Faith.”

Frank scrutinized the two girls in front of him, not sure what to make of things. He gestured for Claire to follow him for a minute.  
“Claire, why did you never tell me you had twins?”

Claire sighed. “It’s not easy for me to talk about. Jamie and I were very young when we married and had the girls. When things didn’t work out between us, we decided that we would each keep one girl because trying to figure out custody between two continents just wasn’t going to work. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and its painful for me to talk about. We aren’t proud of our actions.” Claire said, looking Jamie dead in the eyes as he nodded in agreement, overhearing the whole thing.

“And what, did you just all of a sudden decide to introduce the girls to one another?” Frank asked.

“Like Jamie said, this wasn’t planned.” Claire shook her head. “The girls coincidentally met each other at summer camp and for obvious reasons, they realized they were sisters. They switched places on us and Faith has been in Scotland for the last few weeks with Jamie. Brianna has been here with me. They wanted the chance to know their other parent, and now they are being switched back.”

“You make it sound like its an everyday occurrence.” Frank said. “This is a big deal.”

“You think we don’t know that?” Claire asked frustratedly. “I’ve spent 12 years hating myself for not being able to be there for my other daughter, wondering how she was, if she was healthy, if she thought of me at all. This hasn’t been easy. I expect the same has been for Jamie.”

“All day every day.” Jamie responded. “Jenny has given me pictures of Faith over the years that Claire has sent her, but to know that I’ve had the keeping of her for weeks, and to have been given the chance to get to know her over the last few days, has been a chance I never thought I’d get. I’m grateful for it.”

“So I suppose you’re back in the picture for good now.” Frank rolled his eyes.

“If you mean am I to be there for my daughters, both of them, from now on...then the answer is yes.” Jamie said, eyeing Faith and Bree who had tears in their eyes.

“And what of Claire?” Frank asked suspiciously.

“Claire is my ex-wife and I hope someday we can be friends, but if you are asking if we are going to get back together, the answer is nay, and I ken she will agree.” Jamie looked at Claire who gave him a grateful smile, happy for his calming presence. “Ye know, this might actually be a good opportunity for the girls to get to know Frank and for both girls to spend a few days alone with their mother.”

“Say what?” Faith asked in shock, this was not part of the plan at all.

“Da, think about what ye are saying.” Bree suggested.

“I am.” Jamie assured both girls. “Claire hasna got to spend a lot of time with the both of you, I think now would be a good time. I can make myself scarce for a few days while you four spend some time together.”

“Jamie are you sure?” Claire asked in surprise. Truthfully she didn’t know how she felt about it. She knew the girls would have an issue with Frank, especially now, and she didn’t want there to be trouble. 

“I’m sure.” Jamie said. “I have a friend who lives no far from here, I can stay with him for a few days while you get acquainted. But when I get back, Brianna, you and I are to head back for home.” He said in a no-nonsense tone.

Bree nodded sadly. She didn’t like this at all.

“We will figure out visitation arrangements at a later date. I promise ye both, you will spend more time together and with the two of us. It will not be like it was before.” 

“That is something we can both promise.” Claire agreed. “We will make this work.” She turned to face Jamie.

“Jamie, thank you for this. I’m not sure how it will work out, but I do think its important for both girls to know Frank. Don’t think for a second that he will try to replace you.” She assured him.

Jamie smiled softly at her. “I ken you wouldna let that happen, Sassenach.” He rubbed her arm gently in assurance that he understood and that it was okay.

He kissed both girls on the heads, bidding them a quick goodbye and made himself scarce as promised.

Bree and Faith knew that they had to come up with a new plan and fast, otherwise nothing would go their way.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire, Frank and the girls spend some time together...things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 2 chapters left after this.

Chapter 14

After Jamie had said his goodbyes, the rest of the day was spent indoors, relaxing in front of the television in the cottage. Frank had his eyes glued to the screen, some war documentary on. Normally Bree had an appreciation for history, liked watching documentaries, but right now she was just so disappointed in how their plans were turning out.

“Mama, can we not do something outside?” Faith asked with a whining tone. “Its such a nice day out and Bree and I are bored.”

Claire sighed, understanding dawning on her features. She knew this was throwing them for a loop, this wasn’t how either of the girls wanted things, but she also hoped for them to get to know Frank a little. He wasn’t the bad guy they both thought he was. Claire looked to the far corner of the room and got an idea.

“What if we have a campout on the beach? There’s plenty of room and we can have a fire.” She suggested.

The girls both groaned but then nodded in agreement, anything was better than being stuck inside at this point.

“Claire, you know I’ve been looking forward to this marathon for weeks.” Frank gestured to the television.

Rolling her eyes, Claire scoffed. “Surely you can record it all. You’re here on a vacation, not to sit in front of the tellie.”

She looked to Faith and Bree. “Please go gather up some blankets from the bedrooms as well as sleeping bags and pillows. I will dig out the tent and air mattresses.”

Faith and Bree nodded eagerly and scattered off.

“Claire, is this really necessary? I never thought of you as the camping type, I’m certainly not.” Frank grumbled.

“Frank, you do realize that I was brought up by a world-renowned archaeologist, camping came with the territory. I actually quite enjoy it, as the girls obviously do too.” Claire explained with a roll of her eyes. “If you want to find a way to bond with the girls, this is the way to do it. Sitting in front of a television is definintely not going to cut it.”

“Oh alright, I just hope you know what you are getting us into.” He agreed, still not showing the slightest interest.

Later that evening, the tent had been set up, beds made, and a fire crackled. Everyone was so quiet, you could practically hear crickets chirping and the waves crashing on the shoreline.

“Mama, can you tell us a story?” Faith asked, sitting next to Bree. “One about you and Da?” She knew it would get under Frank’s skin, but she didn’t care at this point. It wasn’t like he was putting any effort in.

“Faith, I really don’t think now is the time.” Claire warned.

“Come on, Mama.” Bree joined in. “Please, I’ve heard stories of you from Da, but never from you.” She was laying it on thick and she knew it.

Claire sighed, but she couldn’t say no to the looks on their faces. “Ok, maybe I’ll tell you about the one and only camping trip your father and I ever took.”

Both girls were earnest listeners at that point, wanting to soak up every detail.

“I’m not the story-teller your father is, but I will do my best.” Claire said, trying to remember details. “I think it was maybe 4 or 5 months into our relationship when Jamie and I decided on a camping trip for our first weekend away together. Both of us had grown up camping, so we were both fairly well in tune with nature. Everything was going great until we went to eat. Jamie had been roasting wieners over the fire, but they ended up catching fire when he wasn’t paying attention.” Claire smirked at her memory.

“We can only guess it was you distracting him.” Faith giggled.

“I won’t be discussing those details with the two of you, thank you.” Claire laughed. “But he was sufficiently distracted." She winked. "When he went to get more, he realized that all the food in our bag was covered in bugs, even my pasta salad. Jamie offered to go find us some fish, but it started raining as it so often does in Scotland, so I declined. We decided that maybe going to bed early would be a better idea, only when we settled down to go to sleep, we heard noises outside our tent. We forgot to seal our bag with the food and it had attracted a bear.”

Faith and Bree gasped. “But you got away, obviously.”

Claire nodded with a laugh. “We did, but not easily. We made it out of the tent and to the car only to realize that Jamie had forgotten his car keys in the tent, so he had to sneak back without the bear noticing. He managed and we made it into the back of the car where we ended up spending the rest of the night, watching as the bear rummaged through our belongings.”

“That sounds so romantic.” Faith exclaimed with a hand to her chest. 

Claire nodded. “In a way it was. We snuggled up in his back seat all night. That was when I first knew I loved him.”

“Really?” Bree asked, her eyes lighting up. 

“He made me feel safe, made me feel protected and I loved that feeling.” Claire said.

The beautiful moment, however, was ruined when Frank stood up, declaring he had had enough. “I’m going to bed.”

“Are you sure you won’t stay up with us some more?” Claire asked. “I’m sure you have some great stories to share.”

“No, I’m sorry, Claire. But I’m exhausted.” He bid his goodnights to the girls as well.

Minutes later they were just settling down once again when they heard a shriek as Frank bolted out of the tent, screaming profanities.

“Frank, darling, what is it?” Claire asked in concern.

Frank’s heavy breathing could be heard as he tried to settle himself once again. “Spider...in my sleeping bag.” He panted.  
Claire tried her best not to laugh, but in the end she couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry, there’s a spider in your sleeping bag and that’s a reason for the ruckus?”

“I told you Claire, I’m not an outdoorsman and I hate spiders.” 

“I see.” Claire said. She looked at the two girls who were not doing anything to hide their giggles. “Did you two have anything to do with this?”

“Who us?” Faith asked innocently. “No Mama, we didn’t.” The fact that her eyes never met her mother’s, told Claire that they at least knew the spider was there whether or not they put it there.

“Of course they did.” Frank exclaimed in anger. “They wanted to humiliate me.”

Claire was flabbergasted by his accusation. “Are you seriously suggesting that my girl’s planned this?”

“Yes, just to get back at me for destroying their precious plans.” Frank said. “The same as them asking for that story, did you really think I wouldn’t see through that?” Frank asked the girls. “You could have asked for any story, yet you wanted one about him.”

Bree and Faith both did their best to look affronted. They both knew he was onto them and suspected that Claire did as well, best just to continue to play innocent.

“He’s our father, of course we want one about him. We’ve never heard any stories of our parent’s past from our mam’s perspective.” Bree said.

“Frank, I sincerely suggest you take a step back and go to bed, maybe think about what you are accusing them of.” Claire said, making it clear that she wouldn’t tolerate his tearing down her children. “They are children, and Jamie is their father, of course they would want to know about him and I. I really don’t think they would plot against you.”

“Claire, are you really that gullible?” Frank asked. “They’ve been playing you all evening.”

“Frank!” Claire warned, her anger shining through. “Go to bed.”

Frank muttered under his breath, angrily. Just as he walked into the tent, the whole thing came collapsing down on top of him. At that point, none of the girl’s could hold back their giggles.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank and Claire have a much needed discussion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to get this up. Between work and taking more university classes, my life has become quite hectic. I'm hoping the last chapter does not take me as long to get up, but I cannot make any guarantees.  
Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the minor cliff hanger at the end.

Chapter 15

The rest of their “camping” trip was anything but uneventful, really it was a mess, with Frank grumbling the entire time about Bree and Faith “conspiring against him”. By the time the weekend was over, even Claire had had enough of his whining. 

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, Frank, there’s no use crying over spilled milk!” Claire exclaimed. And it wasn’t just the saying, Frank literally sat at their kitchen table with milk dripping down his shirt murmuring about the carton being tampered with.

Claire, on the other hand, had a perfect weekend with her girls. It was a dream come true getting to know Bree for who she was now and not as the baby she was the last time she had seen her. Claire saw so many similarities between her and Faith, yet there were clear differences as well. Bree was very much an outdoorsy girl, having grown up at Lallybroch with her father, Aunt, Uncle and cousins. She was used to waking at dawn with Jamie and getting her chores done. She lived for long hikes and swimming in Lochs (lakes). Faith, on the other hand, was more of a girly-girl, having grown up in the city. She liked to sleep in when she could and wasn’t used to long walks, and her favourite daily activity was going to the cafe near their house for a latte. There was nothing wrong with either upbringing, its just how things were. Claire’s favourite thing about this weekend, however, was getting to spend time with both girls together.

Frank had just returned from changing his shirt when there was a knock at the door.  
“I wonder who that could be.” He said with an eye roll.

“Dad!” Faith exclaimed, throwing open the door and putting her arms around Jamie. He picked her up slightly off the ground in a tight hold and did the same for Bree. It warmed Claire’s heart knowing her girls were lucky to have him for a father.

“Well how was the rest of the weekend?” Jamie asked, shutting the door behind him, walking in with Faith and Bree attached to his sides.

“We slept in a tent outside and got to stargaze.” Faith said dreamily.

“Aye, Da.” Bree said, sounding so Scottish that Claire couldn’t help but smirk. She wondered how long it would be before Faith was copying those little sayings.

“Well that sounds fun.” Jamie grinned at Claire. “Camping was a favourite past-time of ours.”

Claire nodded in agreement, noting the little glint in his eye and the owlish wink he sent her. It had always been a trait that Claire loved about him.

“Mam told us about yer first camping trip.” Bree said. “About how ye almost got eaten by a bear.”

Claire laughed and rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t exactly what I said, Brianna, that’s a slight exaggeration.”

“Well there was a bear involved if I remember correctly.” Jamie said, laying his hand on the top of Bree’s head. “And some creepy little beasties as well.” Jamie shuddered.

“Are you here to make small talk, Fraser, or are you here to take your child?” Frank said with a snotty tone. 

“Aye, I am. Bree, I think its time we head back to the hotel and pack our bags. You can come say goodbye to your Mam and sister later.” Jamie said.

“Da, I don’t want to leave Mam and Faith just yet.” She cried. “Our flight isn’t until tomorrow morning, please can we just stay a while longer?”

Claire nodded in agreement. “Jamie, I really would like to spend some more time with Bree before you go and I know Faith wants to spend more time with you. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“But its only breakfast.” Frank argued, getting increasingly irritated about having to spend an entire afternoon with this man.

“And that’s just fine, Frank.” Claire said earnestly, hoping to get Jamie to agree.

“If you’re sure?” Jamie asked.

Claire nodded and smiled when Bree gave her a grateful, warm hug.

Breakfast turned out to be the most awkward affair ever, not that it should be surprising given the company. Jamie and Frank spent their time shooting daggers at one another as Claire and the girls made small talk.

After breakfast, both girls decided they wanted to take Jamie for a walk around the area, to give Frank and Claire some time to talk.

“Thank god he’s is gone.” Frank shuddered. Claire only shook her head at his antics, he was really beginning to get on her final nerve.

“He was being a gentleman and he is the girl’s father, you could have been a little nicer to him.” Claire said exasperatedly.

“And you could have told me that you had two daughters instead of one. Funny how that never came up.” He bit back.

Claire knew she had to give him that one. Her past wasn’t one she was proud of, and she regretted never staying in communication with Jamie and Bree. Jenny sent her updates every year in the form of a letter and added pictures of Brianna, but that was all that she had known of her daughter for 12 years. It was a sore spot for her and not one she liked to talk about.

“It would have come up eventually.” Claire whispered.

“When your girls were 18 and you finally decided to tell them?” Frank spat.

“No, I would not have lasted that long. I’ve been thinking of getting into contact with Bree for the last few years, but now she’s found me.” Claire smiled at the thought.

“And so has her Da.” Frank rolled his eyes.

Claire had to choke back her anger. “Yes Jamie is part of the deal, Frank, so you better learn to accept it.” 

“Accept it? How am I supposed to accept this situation, Claire? Its impossible, unless you send those little brats to boarding school, I don’t see how I can accept this.” 

“How dare you!” Claire looked like she wanted to pick up the vase and hurl it at him. “They are not your girls and you will not be making any decisions about them. I understand your anger, but if you can’t accept them, then we cannot be together.”

“Are you breaking things off with me?” Frank looked at her in shock. “What? So you can go back to him? You didn’t work for a reason, need I remind you.”

Claire sighed as she sat down on the couch and rubbed her temples, trying to gain control of her emotions. “I’m not going back to Jamie, I realize it would never work between us. Just as I am now realizing that you and I are not going to happen.”

“You’re really going to pick them over me?” 

“You’d expect me to give you a different answer?” Claire asked angrily. “They’re my children, Frank, of course I would choose them.”

Frank’s glare could have broken glass as he seethed, ready to put up another fight.

“Please get your things and leave.” Claire said as she stood up, looking confident in her decision, which only angered him more.  
“Fine.” He snarled. “Don’t expect to come crawling back to me when you get your heart broken again.” With that, he left the room to grab his things.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Claire shouted after him.

A half hour passed and Claire heard the girls giggling. Jamie entered carrying Faith on his back, piggyback style. Claire smiled seeing how happy they were, she hated to have to break them up.

“Och...hi Sassenach. We were just having some fun.” Jamie shot her a smile, although it didn’t last when he saw the look on her face.

“Bree, Faith, can you please go to your room, your father and I need to talk.” Claire said, trying and failing to make her voice sound even.

It didn’t work, Faith knew what she sounded like when she was upset.

“Mama, are you alright?” The young girl asked. “Is it Frank?”

Claire smiled and cupped her daughter’s cheek. “I’m afraid he’s gone lovey, and he isn’t coming back.”

To their credit, neither girls were jumping for joy, probably to Claire’s benefit. 

“Sorry, Mam.” Bree came over and gave Claire a much needed embrace, as Faith followed suit.

“I’ll be fine so long as I have you two, now can you please leave your Da and I alone to talk?” Claire asked once more, in a gentle yet firm tone.

Both girls nodded and did as they were asked.

“Jamie, we need to talk…”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a review if you can :)


End file.
